Primer
Primer '''is the 1st Chapter of Interloper War Season One. This chapter introduces the "Light/Dark" priming posts, as they were designed to give a launching point for the various dark/light cards. This chapter also contains the first few posts for a number of major players that continue on throughout Season 2. Senshi/Isaac/Kae/Lynn/Habiki/Polaris/Cid are all introduced briefly here, and the entirety of their posts from Page 1 are here. Their stories are continued in separate chapters for all posts on Page 2 or greater. '''Light Primer “They are still coming,” murmured the spotter, peering out from the treetops. And they were. A vast army crested the hilltop, pressing toward the forests of Ordon. Hundreds of cavalry units; thousands of infantry; dozens of artillery, they all advanced on this lone man and his partner on the forest floor. And this, he knew, was just one of the forces moving against their kingdom. “Go!” he shouted down to his runner. “Warn the Commander. Ordona will fall, but we must see the Castle safe. Run!” He pursed his lips, grim resolve taking him as the runner lept into motion. Yes. Ordona would fall. But not before he took a few of these bastards. He readied his bow and prayed Nayru would see his arrow fly straight. Rus, Commander of the Ordona Standing Army, leaned over a map of the charge he must protect. All forests, for the most part. All easily defended. Yet it would make no difference in the end. His OSA had only five-hundred men-at-arms. Even with two-hundred reserves from the civilian defense forces, they were more than out-matched. It would be a massacre. He stroked the budding stubble of his unshaved chin. Who had time for such petty hygiene when death breathed, literally, on the very horizon? The obvious first choice is to bombard the trees with the artillery, he thought, soften up the defenses… and then you only need to face rock-shocked troops. “So,” he convinced himself, “we pull back and let them waste there ammunition, and strike them hard and ready when they expect an already withered force.” “Sir?” Rus nodded to his assistant. “Yes. Have the commanders pull their units back. Here, outside the ancient temple. This is where we strike from.” “Aye, sir.” And then Rus was alone with his thoughts. How long would this stand last? Surely the King did not mean to sacrifice these good brave men in a holding action while the Castle defenses were shored up? Strategically, yes, that might make sense, but the man was not so cold-hearted to his subjects. Was he? His musings on royalty were interrupted as a man burst into the command tent. “Sir!” the private saluted. Rus returned the salute with a bit of a glare. “What is the meaning of this, private?” “Commander Meado…” The soldier gasped for air after such a lengthy run. “Spit it out, boy! Or I’ll have you court-martialed for storming in here!” “The invaders are advancing. Meado’s forces are facing them now. They’re inside the tree-line, sir.” Rus turned again to face the map. “So it begins.” Two Weeks Later The masonry shook and dust fell like rain around General Rus and his staff. Another bolt of ethereal energy slammed against the foundations of the ancient Temple of Time. “We can’t stay here much longer, sir. The building is falling apart around us. Their magic is too much for us. We have no defense, and bowmen can only do so much… we’re running out of men.” Rus shook his head. Defeat was not an option! But still, his aide was correct. They couldn’t win. Not in a traditional engagement. “Bring me the Sage’s Pendant. And sound the retreat.” For a moment the aide was merely silent. “Sir… You can’t be serious?” “Do not question a superior officer!” Rus snapped at the man. “Those were your orders, now you better damn well follow them, Fanod!” “… Yes, sir.” It was a biting blow, that tone of voice. Rus had lost a measure of respect with his angered outburst. So be it. Sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Maydni strode among her troops. This was being alive! The Hylians cowered before her might; pathetic fools! Nothing could stand before the strength of Twili magic; not even the greatest kingdom of the known world. And it was Maydni’s doing. All glory to Commander Maydni of the Twili Army! Only, after this victory, she wouldn’t be a mere Commander much longer. “The base is ours, General. There is but one Hylian fool who didn’t escape with the cowardly rabble.” Maydni smirked. Interrogation was her favorite part of prisoners. “Take me to him.” “Aye, M’Lady.” A quick jaunt through the claustrophobic stone halls brought her upon the last person she expected; surprising enough she knew who the Hylian was, let alone his position. “Well, General Rus of the Ordona Standing Army. Did your boys decide you weren’t worth saving since you couldn’t even defend the Forest?” “Hardly,” Rus said with a small smirk. “You see, I ordered them away.” “Couldn’t stand to have more of your men butchered under your paltry command?” “No, you dumb Twili bitch. I didn’t want them to die with us.” Maydni’s eyes grew wide as she saw the disk held in Rus’ hands. She tried to scream, “Get out!”; she tried to run from the ensuing maelstrom of magical discharge. She failed in both. Even this far into Hyrule Field, Fanod could feel the effects of the Pendant. The wind whipped around him, and static discharge made his skin prickle as his hair stood on end. His mount whinnied, kicking onto its hind legs and nearly bolting to the north. “Shh, girl. It’s okay. We can’t be hurt here.” He comforted the animal with a stroke along its powerful neck. “Not today. Not here. Not us.” He allowed the beast its want to turn from the carnage, and instead faced the ragtag group assembled in the valley before him. “Alright, men! The Twili army won’t be following us now. We make for the Castle. His Majesty must be informed!” Behind him the forest burned. Four Days Later By Royal Decree of His Majesty the King of Hyrule King Francis Daphnes Hyrule II Hear Ye All Denizens of Kingdom Hyrule Let it be known this day His Royal Majesty will not Tolerate the loss of the Ordona Province to the Invading Beasts which call themselves “Twili”. All able-bodied Men age 13-40 are to report to their nearest Royal Army Barracks for Service Enrollment in this time of dire need. Those found to be avoiding the draft will be charged with Treason of the Highest Order. Note all ye who read service is not Mandatory, only Enrollment. All willing and able to retake the Forests of Hyrule may tell their Enrollment Officer and Volunteer for Service in this campaign. Mercenaries Accepted and Welcome to Assault Twili forces in Ordona. So it is written and so it shall be. Let all who have understanding be aware of The Crown's Just and Merciful Wisdom. Those of Learning Required to read this Writ to the Unlearned; Ignorance of the Law is no Excuse. Dark Primer “Ge-“ the scream of Lady Maydni was choked off isntantly by a deafening silence. It was a sound so pervasive it was quiet. A quiet so encompassing it was cacophonous. Ear-splitting, head-rending, gut-spilling noise and noiselessness. Then the other four sensations were accosted with this hypocrisy; assailed by the impossible dichotomy of two things that were completely different yet intrinsically the same. The weaker soldiers in the Fortress died instantly of shock. Those with hardier constitutions were rendered catatonic. And those few with willpower to resist fought against the horror before it breached their sanity and drove them into gibbering madness. This was the power that General Rus had unleashed. The Twili forces had no defense against such conccentrated magical energy. The Same Time, but Elsewhere "By the Goddesses, he’s unleashed one of the Sage Pendants. The fool!” “There are no Goddesses. Only Twili.” The spotter turned to his Commander, sligthly befuddled by the train of thought. “It is but a curse, Sir… And isn’t that”, he accentuated the word with a gesture toward Ordona Forest, “more important right now?” “The battle is won. That is all that is important. Have the artillery launch the fireball ammunition. Nothing is alive down there that is worth salvaging. Burn it all. Erase Maydni’s disgrace from this world.” And with that the cloaked General turned and left. “Aye, Sir… Artillery! …” Two Days Later Hot! Cold… Loud! Quiet… The world is full of pretty colors, so dull and grey. Is that bird down there in the ground? Why is that rock flying so still in the sky? Who said that? Don’t you talk to me that way! I know where you live, and where you sleep, and I can hunt you down and kill you before you even have a chance to die! This tree bark is so soft and fluffy like a rabbit’s eyeball. These thorn barbs are tickling the soles of my shoes. I can’t feel you. Where did you do? It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts. How comfortable I feel right now, I cannot express in mere thoughts, only feeling. I could fall asleep on this cloud, soft and fluffy like a big mountain. The bodies make a good blanket, or perhaps a pilllow. Yes! Plow the fields and sow the seeds, just like mother always said the scarecrow would. I can’t feel anything. No. Not anything. I feel everything. All of it. Everywhere. “You don’t know who I am!” Jaym and Henri had always pulled the short stick when it came to patrol duties. No one wanted to have to survey the area nearest the epicenter of the magic discharge that descimated most of the Ordona Forest. The disturbance to the natural order was still palpable here. “I tell ya, Jaym, I can feel’em. Watchin’ us. It’s the ghosts of them what died here!” “Listen, if you don’t shut up about trying to scare me out, I swear I’ll pop you one good in the lip.” Henri jumped and turned around, “No, really, Jaym, I swear it on my life and eternal soul, they’re here! Didn’t you hear that? Right over there, look!” Jaym sighed, disregarding the disconcerted prattling of his disoriented partner. “There’s nothing here but what you imagine. I don’t hear naught but silence, Henri, and that’s all you hear too, you hear? Nothing is alive out here but us two. Even the damn grass bit it with the rest of’em.” Henri, to the merit of his stubborness, did not believe his partner, of course, and continued to eye the surrounding browning underbrush. “You don’t know that, Jaym. You don’t know. That there was one of those Sage Pendants them Hylians got. They say it makes you go crazy so that you kill yourself… but someone with enough brain power what could resist it might stay alive. I reckon that if someone stubborn enough can resist, then someone crazy enough would just be unaffected! Right, you see? Makes perfect sense, don’t it? There’s gots to be bunches of crazies just waiting to strike. You know I heard that Yori and Heira were out here nearest the temple, and you know they been gone missin’ for what? ‘Bout almost two whole days now it been.” “Henri! Shut the hell up! There’s noth-“ “You don’t know who I am!” It was a shrill scream from the Fortress that peirced the ears of the two scouts and set their bones trembling. “Oh, damn it all… Of all the things to be right about, Henri. Of all the things!” From the stones stumbled a disheveled Twili figure, twitching oddly, with clothes torn and mussed about her, hair matted and frizzy. “Wait… Jaym, ain’t that… ain’t that the Commander? What’s-her-name?” Jaym squinted, trying to peer past the hair that fell over the woman’s face. “Maydni, Henri. That’s Maydni.” One Day Later The field medic closed the door to the temporary shelter, shutting out the sound of the work within. He quickly crossed the trudged down grass, and opened an identical door, entering this one rather than leaving it. He nodded to the man working with papers near the entrance, and walked past him. He nodded as well to the two armed guards further in, but paid them no greater heed than the previous man and continued inward. The next man he met, he tilted his head forward and crossed his arm over his chest, a sign of respect and devotion. “General, I expect a full recovery. Her mind was broken, but not entirely shattered. It functions well and good. There are some issues, but with proper therapy back at the homeland, any complications can be…” “No.” the General interrupted his doctor’s words. “There will be no ‘full recovery’ for Maydni. She failed in her duty; allowed her cockiness to overcome her reason. Is she sensible? Can she speak? Think? Lead?” The doctor gave pause to his reponse. Best not to disappoint the General with hasty words. “Yes, my Lord. Albeit I doubt very well.” “It is not matter. You may leave, back to your meathouse, Doctor. Send my aide on your way out.” And so the doctor did. No one would question their General. “My Lord General, what do you require?” “There is to be a call-to-arms. Send out a postings, let every know what I have to say…” One Day Later By Order of the Command of the Twili Imperial Army Forces Grand General Lord Grem Hear Ye All Denizens of This World! With the Elimination of the Ordona Standing Army, We Twili set Our eyes upon Hyrule Proper. We send a Call-To-Arms to all able fighters. Mercenaries are Invited to Join the Twili Army under Commander Maydni. All Loot and Spoils are to be Considered Payment, Taxation Free! All able-bodied Twili can report to their nearest Imperial Army Barracks for Voluntary Service Enrollment and Training if they wish to Serve their Empire and win Power and Name for themself in the Annals of History. So it is written and so it shall be. Those of Learning Should read this Writ to the Unlearned; All are Welcome in Conquest.'''''''''' KK Day 1 - Dawn - Kakariko Village Kae stirred a bit slower from bed as she'd have preferred, as neither her parents nor her master came by to check on her. Something felt wrong. As she sat down at her dresser to freshen up and braid her unruly hair, her gut just kept twisting. Why didn't her dreams alert her this time? One day remained before she was to go out and begin the search for her brother Jaden, and her divinations led her to a few possible locations. The outskirts of Ordona, Lake Hylia, and the subterrane of Castle Town all rang strong in her mind... The last twist in her braid did not want to go into place, so she fought with it for a little longer and then donned the unfamiliar new clothes her master had tailored for her. Uncomfortably. "So...tight...how does she expect me to move in these?" As she looped the second belting on her new pants, Kae heard the door open, but it was a familiar feeling. It was Nora, her master, and the village's fortune teller. Clad in a deep purple cloak and red robes, the clinking of jewelry accompanied her steps. Red eyes peered from underneath her hood. "You'll get used to them, apprentice. They just need a few days of wear. But tell me, Kae: did you feel that?" Obscure questions and Kae were familiar with one another. "Bad. Very bad. But I didn't feel more than that." Nora took her hood back, letting deep gilded locks cascade to her waist. "You should check the town square. A call to arms was just issued. We felt it for weeks, but couldn't explain what it was. How I wish we could have known!" Kae rushed the rest of her freshening preparations, doing makeup on the fly as she accompanied Nora to view the posted writ. But before she was able to see it, there was another vision. It was brief, but it was Jaden. He was returning home and saw the writ, failing to report in. Kae's heart sank. "Reckless brother..." A crowd of sorts still existed around the square; people were trying to figure out how to best answer the call. Many agreed that taking it right to Ordona would be foolish, but they also were waiting for word back from Hyrule Castle on proper orders. Safe to say, Kae's mission got a little more complicated. "Master, going into a war zone alone is foolish, especially since I've never seen real fighting. What should I do now?" Some of the crowd took notice of the fortune tellers mulling decisions over and interrupted their conversation. "Did you two see anything? Feel anything? How are we to prepare for this conflict?" Nora looked up at the partly cloudy skies and squinted. A few moments passed before she said anything. "This one's for free. Do what you were trained to do. Defend the Crown and our People. We are never caught off guard, but this conflict will shake our land as it has not been for quite some time." Kae felt another string pulling in her mind...and she began to speak. "Never question your loyalty, for it will be tested. The fiercest enemies seek to destroy our greatest prize...don't let it spread...contain the darkness..." Nora's warm hand found its place on Kae's shoulder, and she nodded approvingly. "My apprentice is wise in her young age, friends. With the conscripts and mercenaries headed to Ordona along with the military, a line of sorts can be held. We are going to need to catch what leaks through. And find our missing operatives. All of the Bryseis clan is out on assignment at this time. We cannot afford to lose any of them!" The crowd stayed around for a while as Nora pondered what to do next. What they said was merely divination-inspired, yet the people took all of it to heart. People in crisis will believe just about anything from those they trust, and it is the responsibility of a fortune teller to avoid deception among said trusted clientele. Kae expressed interest in food as Nora was speaking to others, and her master released her to prepare breakfast. Day 1/Pre-Dawn/Hidden Kakariko/Lynn Annei It was cold outside this morning, but Lynn did not feel the chill. She had other, more important issues, with which to occupy her mind. Yes, the war with the invaders was escalating more and more each day, but even this did not concern her on that frosty morn. Her mind was focused on one thing at the moment: Staying alive. Only by three fingers on her left hand did she prevent a clumsy and embarrassing plunge thirty feet to the unforgiving rock-soil below. She had messed up. The rock was slick with moistness after yesterday's heat, and Lynn had not been expecting her hands to slip free form their purchase at only five feet from the top of her climb. "Damn it, Lynn." she cursed herself. "You can't get cocky like this when you're out in the field." She braced her legs against the firm rock wall, her nails biting into the stone and hurting like hell, and swung with her right hand. She knew from previous climbs that the ledge there, to the side, held a lip that would give her the leverage she needed to pull herself up, moisture or not. She had only to grab it. With practice, and perhaps a small blessing of luck as the soles of her shoes began to slide down the cliff face, her hand snagged the lip and she curled her fingers around the edge. Now she dangled precariously from her right arm and a foot higher. It was progress. And so she continued for the next fifteen minutes, albeit with more care and a better grip. It was perhaps the longest climb she had ever experienced, in terms of distance traveled over time. But she made it. Lynn Annei, Soldier of the Sheikah, Royal Bodyguard, pulled herself over the edge of the cliff as the sun pulled itself over the edge of the horizon. While the sun was a thing of beauty, as it ever was, Lynn was covered in sweat and grime, as she usually was. "Gross." It was a longer hike to take the path around back to the village, but it was safer, and after her experience with the morning's dew she had no compulsion to climb down the way she had come up. A few people had already left their houses, up at the crack of dawn, as the saying went, and began their morning rituals: gathering water from the well, collecting eggs from the hen-houses, feeding the other livestock. Lynn, however, entered her abode, and made straight for the back. The water she had scooped from the well earlier was set up in her special basin, and she could not wait to feel its embrace. Quickly she stripped and stepped into the tub; with a quick tug the stopper was pulled from the piping, and the icy well-water poured from the spout and onto her skin, washing away the dirt, her sweat, and any lingering tiredness from the physical exertion of earlier. Her skin prickled into goosebumps, and she languished in the feeling; so cold it almost hurt, and yet so very good. The basin had emptied itself shortly, yet Lynn remained, allowing her skin to dry into the chill air. Today would be a good day, she could tell already. "Or... not...?" After dressing she stepped outside to see a group of people surrounding the town boards. Something had happened. Something big. She started toward the group, intending to push her way through to the board, when she spotted Kae with her master, the fortune teller Nora. Lynn redirected her steps to bring her to the like-aged Sheikah woman. Kae was beginning to leave the gaggle and walk away when Lynn reached her. "Kae," she said with a greeting nod of the head. "What is going on here?" Kae Bryseis/Day 1/Dawn/Kakariko Kae wasn't too startled by Lynn. Not every Sheikah was interested by crowds, after all. Kae didn't enjoy giving bad news, though. Even if it was her job sometimes. "Lynn, Ordona is under attack by the Twili people. His Majesty has issued a Call to Arms, and we are deciding how to best go about answering it." She continued to elaborate on some of the things she felt and saw in her divinations; none of it very good. "My brother Jaden is missing, my parents are missing, and we fear for the others not in the village at this time. I'm going to go look for him soon..." Kae then paused and thought about some things as she kept walking, but her pace slowed considerably when an audible grumble came from her belly. "This is my first mission, and going into a war zone unnerves me a good deal." Nora was not following. She was still dealing with many people asking endless questions, and her patience didn't seem to be wearing. Kae had a good feeling she'd just want to get out of there soon or else she'd be stuck there until noon. This job would be hers in twenty years or less depending on if Nora wanted to pass the mantle early. Then there was that issue of food... "Did you want to join Master and I for a meal? I was on my way to fix it up, but I'd feel bad not offering a plate." Day 1/Hidden Kakariko/Morning/Lynn Annei "Yes, thank you, Kae. I suppose I can join you for a light meal." Lynn answered as she walked with her acquaintance. "Though I'm worried about this situation now. You are searching for your brother? But what if the High Command requires you to join in the defense?" She thought of her parents, the kind Anneis who had adopted her after that horrible attack. They probably would not be called to serve. At least not for the time being; it was seldom practice to re-enlist the elder members when the youth were ready and willing to serve. But Lynn would have to go, no doubt. Really, nothing could hold her back. It was duty. "I'll be volunteering for the first mission into Ordona. Kae... you should come with me. We can take it to these Twili bastards, instead of waiting for them to enter Hylian land. We can get you out of that musty old fortune teller's house. If you try running off after Jaden on your own, you'll just end up getting lost. Or killed." Lynn stepped forward and blocked Kae from moving forward. She looked her fellow in the eyes. "It's your duty. As a Sheikah. 'Defend the Throne'." She reached her right hand forward, a physical representation of the invite. "Come with me." Kae Bryseis/Kakariko/Mid-dawn/Day 1 It was going to happen eventually, she thought, so going out to fight on her terms might serve better than simply answering the call to arms. Even better, not going alone and having someone who knew how to conduct herself on a battlefield would keep her alive a lot longer. Her parents very well could be out there too... She took Lynn's hand and nodded in agreement. "I'll do it, but I have no idea what I am doing out there." Nora wasn't advancing at all. She saw Kae talking to Lynn and nodded approvingly through the crowd, but she looked worried. Muttering a few words of power conjured a Star Shard in a short flash of light. It appeared in Kae's palm, and she set it to hover on her shoulder. "As far as food, this is why we eat first. These cook things faster than fire." With a mischievous grin, Kae opened the door to the fortune teller's hut and headed right to the stove. She set the shard inside the furnace and went to work, but she looked visibly worried. Going off to fight is a reality for any Sheikah. For Kae, who had never killed anything before, it shook her a bit. Sure, her magic was of a high caliber of lethality and destruction, and she practiced with it a bit. But she always remembered what Jaden said: Only slay in your own defense or defense of the Crown. The first is always the worst, but don't think about it too hard. Cucco eggs. Easy, quick, and not requiring much thought. Throw a little salted meat in, and it tastes much better. When it was finished, she opened the stove and set the floating crystal on her shoulder again. A few more cosmic words were muttered and the table was set hands-free. Three places with a hope of Nora returning some time before it got cold. The worry was obvious on Kae's face as she pulled out a chair for Lynn. "So where were you planning on going, and what can I do to help?" Day 1/Hidden Kakariko/Morning/Lynn Annei Lynn slid into the chair and scooped up the utensils set. Eggs were eggs, and free was free. She started into the food without waiting for Kae. They were rather tasty eggs, though I little bit overdone with a slight magical aftertaste. But rather tasty, nonetheless. "Well," she began as she ate the meal, "Where we go depends on where the Boss-man sends us, right? And what we do depends on what our orders are, too. Ours is not to question why, but to only serve, then die." She cast her gaze around the room, looking for a cup. "What, no milk? There's a pretty good vintage from the other Kakariko out this year, from what I hear." Day 1/Kae Bryseis/Mid-dawn/Kakariko "She usually keeps it somewhere around here...probably won't care...we get a lot of it in payment for fortunes. You wouldn't believe how much they rely on us." Kae scryed the room for a short time and floated a few cups around in the process. To concentrate better, she put them on the table. While she was scrying, she felt Nora in her mind briefly. "You don't need to snoop. If you need it, take it. They're coming back tomorrow with more. Under my table. Watch the cloth this time!" A bottle of milk floated up from under the table and found its place in Kae's hand. "How careless of me. All the thoughts of combat and such had me scattered about." The voice entered her head again, softly. She poured drinks as she listened. "Your mission would have you kill regardless, and you must learn sometime. Grow, apprentice. There is life beyond the village and the libraries." "She's almost back. I'm surprised they let her go so soon..." The shard floated off of her shoulder and back into the stove where it let off a dim glow, reheating what was left. "My role is beyond that of just fighting. I'll be doing what Nora does one day, but serving in any way is honorable." The Guardians, Who Else? Day 1/Outside Hyrule Castle/Senshi Ma "Helping the Hylians? Ha, you never change." A mocking voice boomed in Senshi's mind, "You come all the way back to Hyrule claiming you're just interested in these Twili guys and what do you do, you set your self up to become a light warrior, AGAIN! You're a real piece of work kid." "I don't own you an explanation, but if it will shut you up. I don't know my way around Hyrule anymore, nor the customs, it will be much easier to get reacquainted if I spend time around the Hylian's then with some invaders. Besides, helping liberate the forest will repay a dept." Senshi murmured quietly making sure no one was around to here. After all to the outside observer it looked like he was talking to himself. "OH, oh, I get it now. You'll get what you want, then maybe help the other side. HAHAHA! The irony, it's so delicious, can you taste it kid, come on I know you can." "I will only do whats necessary, nothing more, nothing less. Any comparison you're trying to make is purely by coincidence." Senshi said then reserved himself to ignore any farther bantering from the demon as he headed into castle town. Day 1/Soldier's Barracks/Senshi Senshi relaxed in the soldiers barracks he had been told to wait in after he offered his services to the king. The guards that were currently allowed to use it since the main army was deployed already took issue with Senshi's "personality quirks" and wanted to hold him for a bit before they decided what to do with him. Still signing up did go much smoother then he expected, between concealing his face, using a fake name, technically not being a citizen and just being kind of suspicious in general he actually expected to have a fight. "I guess that's what happens when the king is desperate enough to higher mercenaries. Still for their sake I hope they can get a few more, with most the main army wiped out the Guard will be the main force, and in that case this country's doomed." He though out loud making little effort to hide his contempt for what he had bee raised to believe were to most incompetent fighters in all Hyrule. Having grown up with his father constantly insulting them, claiming their officers are nothing more than nobles who were too cowardly, arrogant, lazy or incompetent to become knights, and making similar comments common guards who chose that path over becoming a real soldier. Of course Senshi was never one to care for anything his father ever said, but every encounter he's had with them has gone to reinforce that belief. Besides, while he'll never admit it, he is still some what his fathers son. "We need to head to the forest" and emotionless voice spoke in Senshi's mind. "Oh great, you'd been so quite since we got to Hyrule I was beginning to think you wouldn't get involved." "There is an issue I find relevant there, initially I though it was the power these invaders had but I've since realized otherwise. I can no longer wait for you to make a move on you're own." "Unless it involves me fixing my problem or one more my distant relatives going down the 'wrong path,' I don't care." "I'm concerned the power of the sages has been misused." "Then I don't care. Now I fully plan to get there eventually but not under your terms. Besides, unlike you, I can die." There's Always a Sewer Level Isaac Telmar - First Day - Hyrule Castle Town - The Sewers "Hast thou not heard of Ordona's untimely fall?" He pulled the smoke deep into his lungs and exhaled as he spoke. "Yeah, I heard." There he stood, amid the putrid refuse of a civilization on the brink of annihilation, listening to the words of the plenipotentiary. "And dost the suffrage of thy countrymen not stir thee?" He had to give it to the man, the passion with which he spoke made it hard not to care. Somehow he managed though. "Look I don't know why you keep coming to find me. I'm no hero, if anything I'm the villain of this story." The plenipotentiary cut a striking figure, tall and typically handsome. Everything about him was a calculated aspect of his persona, even the finery he swathed himself in was little more than a part of the role he assumed. So it was, too, with the man that stood back from the plenipotentiary and he. The pariah. "Thou must needs act, lest this world be cast in shadow like unto no other in history. He, the eyes, and I, the voice, we implore thee." A pretty speech, Isaac still hadn't figured out these two. It was clear enough that they were not typical Hylians, they each had a magical quality about them that suggested otherwise. Were they spirits given form, or demons sent forth to torture him? "Thy path is clear, Kinslayer, for we know thee. Thou hast been burned with the Brand of the Serpent. Thou hast the power." "You two aren't listening to me." The plenipotentiary turned his head, looking back into the bright eyes of the pariah, his constant companion. To be in the company of one who could truly see the world around them, it was a rare thing. When he turned back, Isaac could see he had more words on his lips. "Perhaps thou shouldst show more interest. These Twili bring magic of a dark and terrible nature, even one such as thyself cannot challenge it should they establish dominance." "We'll see." "He shall see, and I shalt ever bring his words to whomever they shalt benefit. Thou shalt see before long that thou mustn't remain apart, thine apathy could cost the world much." Before the plenipotentiary departed, he reached into one of the pockets of his coat of livery and pulled from within a scrap of parchment. "Contained therein are the words of thy crown. Again we implore thee to heed the call." "Don't hold your breath. I'm not joining anyone." The pair then departed, sinking back into the shadows of the sewer, leaving Kinslayer to himself. Quietly he reached down and lifted up his shirts to view the mark he bore. The serpentine image wound its way around his torso, the head of the beast rested over his heart. The Brand of the Serpent. He let his shirts fall and unfolded the parchment. By Royal Decree of His Majesty the King of Hyrule '' King Francis Daphnes Hyrule II '''Hear Ye All Denizens of Kingdom Hyrule' Let it be known this day His Royal Majesty will not Tolerate the loss of the Ordona Province to the Invading Beasts which call themselves “Twili”. All able-bodied Men age 13-40 are to report to their nearest Royal Army Barracks for Service Enrollment in this time of dire need. Those found to be avoiding the draft will be charged with Treason of the Highest Order. Note all ye who read service is not Mandatory, only Enrollment. All willing and able to retake the Forests of Hyrule may tell their Enrollment Officer and Volunteer for Service in this campaign. Mercenaries Accepted and Welcome to Assault Twili forces in Ordona. So it is written and so it shall be. Let all who have understanding be aware of The Crown's Just and Merciful Wisdom. Those of Learning Required to read this Writ to the Unlearned; Ignorance of the Law is no Excuse.' He could feel the heat sear his flesh as the Brand ignited, casting a sinister glow through the shirts he wore. He pulled them back up quickly, the serpentine image blazed with fiery light that sent waves of pain through him. He dropped to his knees. Intuitively he knew that it reacted to the words of the notice, and as the pain began to subside and the infernal gleam deadened he was able to think. What in those words had elicited such reaction? What did it matter? '''Isaac Telmar - First Night - Hyrule Castle Town The door didn't creak as he slid through it and into the bar. The sounds of drinking and merriment were unusually subdued, but he figured if anything in the world could cause such it would be war. Nobody noticed him as he strode along the wall and into a dark corner booth. He reached up and took the wick of the unlit oil lamp between his thumb and forefinger, when he took them away the table was bathed in flickering lamplight. "Can I get you something to drink?" his head snapped up and he met the gaze of the older but still voluptuous bartender. He flashed her the lopsided grin that was his most common expression. She mistook it for something else. "It's on the house." "You do that." he told her, she was already on her way back to the bar to pour him some of her swill. "That was a neat trick." he breathed out a loud, exasperated sigh. This time the voice was that of a man, an older man. When he turned to get a visual he realized that he should perhaps have been a bit more cautious. The man that had addressed him was clad in the trappings of a Hylian officer. "Have you enlisted? The army needs those kinds of talents." "Alas, the needs of the army do not rate particularly high on my list of priorities." he muttered back, grasping the mug of ale that the serving wench returned with and taking a long drink. "There's a war on, you know. Everyone has to do there part or there won't be any bars for you to hide from your duty in." "As long as there are overbearing rulers and warlords in the world, friend, there will be bars for people like me to hide from them in." he said with a smirk and another long drink. The ale was terrible but it served to drive his point home. "Have you reported to the barracks?" "Nope." "Then I need you on your feet. I'm going to escort you over personally. Unless you'd rather spend your time in prison, that is." Isaac sighed and set the mug down. "Fair enough, white hat. Lead the way." As quietly as he'd come he rose from the booth and pursued the aging knight out into the alley. As the door closed behind them Isaac was already moving. Swift as a fleeting shadow his dagger came to hand and rent the soft flesh of the man's throat. It was over in an instant, the body keeled over sideways, his legs partially blocking the doorway. "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Drunk in the Alley Cid woke in what appeared to be an alleyway. He couldn't tell truly, because it was much too dark to see. He had a horrid headache. "Ugh, what happened?" He mumbled as he rubbed his temple with his index and middle finger. He looked around to see any evidence from the previous night. His other hand had something mildly heavy in it. He raised his other arm to examine the object. His yellow eyes took a long while to adjust to the darkness, so he had to stare blankly into darkness for several minutes before he could make out this object. Finally, he learned that it was a bottle, with the name "Hylian Mind Bomb: Real Manly Alcohol" labeled on it. "Oh." He said unintelligently. He threw the bottle forward, shattering it on the neighboring building. Many minutes of just sitting there passed. Suddenly, it hit him. "Oh crap!" Cid scrambled to his feet and lit his lamp that sat next to him. He hung it up on a nearby hook on the side of the building, and pulled out some make-up. He examined his black and white face before going to work. After many minutes of dabbing, squeezing, morphing and brushing, he had successfully made himself look like a Hylian again. After triple-checking the work on his face, he sprayed his face with a strange substance that kept the make-up on, then went on the paint his arms. After a few hours, he was ready to leave the alleyway. Cid arrived from the darkness and into the streets, unnoticed and unquestioned. He pulled out a "Wanted" paper, showing a picture of a rather fat man who appeared to have trouble looking through his tiny, beady eyes. His other features included blonde hair, a long, curvy 'stache, and and a small, pointy beard. Cid stuck the paper back in his pocket and sighed. "I want a beer first..." He grumbled as he entered the bar. Cid sat down in front of the bartender, removing his hood. He threw some gold on the table as he began to speak. "Where am I?" The bartender answered as he gave Cid his drink. "You're in the city of Hyrule, of course." Cid looked around, he was surrounded by drunk Gorons, Zora, and Hylians. He chugged his beer and belched. "Duh...What a dumb question..." He mumbled as he lay his head down on the table, asking for another beer. The bartender attempted to start a conversation. "So...how's the war going against those Twili scumbags?" *Don't kill him, not yet* Cid thought to himself. Cid woke up with a jolt. The bartender was still working, cleaning cups and filling orders. "H-how long was I out?" The bartender chuckled "Oh, only for a few hours." The bartender suddenly looked puzzled. Cid was worried. "What?" "I haven't noticed that nasty bruise before, maybe I should get this counter disinfected..." Puzzled, Cid quickly and nervously pulled out his mirror and looked. His make-up had smeared, revealing the pitch black skin on his left cheek. *Oh crap!* The bartender noticed Cid's reaction, and immediately found the truth. "It's a Twili!" He yelled as he pulled out a crossbow from under his cupboard. *Oh shi-!* Was all Cid could think in this situation. The bartender aimed and fired, his arrow was aimed right at his targets' forehead. Right before the arrow hit him, Cid narrowly dodged it by turning himself into a shadow, and slithered away into the darkness. He rematerialized on top of a nearby hospital. He was already soaked in sweat. "Damn, that was close!" He sighed. He looked over the side of the building, just to see the bartender alarming a soldier about his encounter. Cid watched as all of the watchguards in the area began sweeping the area. His rechecked himself in the mirror to see that none of his make-up survived the trip. He was back to his regular black and white self. "Well...That's just peachy..." He grumbled as he threw his mirror down, shattering the glass. Who the hell is Seth? Day 1: Hyrule Field, outside of Lake Hylia. It was night, Seth was walking in the field. He had not been in Hyrule for a full day, and he could already tell that this nation was at war as he saw arrows, blood stains, burnt grass, and corpses with sword wounds and arrows in them scattered across the field. The uncomforting smell of death also lingered in the air. "Wow. What happened here?" he asked himself. He kept a firm grip on the hilt of his katana, in case he was attacked. Out of curiosity, Seth put his hand on the face of a body that was near him, the individual emitted a heat signature. "He's still warm, these people have not been here long." Seth, now feeling a sense of urgency, continued to advance until he was out of the battlefield, and now standing in front of a bridge that loomed over a huge lake below. As he was about to cross the bridge he felt something grab his leg, he quickly drew his katana and looked down next to him to see what grabbed him. It was a severly wounded soldier laying on the ground on his back. He had a hole through his chest that looked like a wound from a burning artow. He tried to muster all of the strength he could to speak to the young traveler of the crisis at hand while he was still alive. "H...help...us... The Twili...our Kingdom...is in danger... You must..." The soldier coughed up blood everytime he spoke, and before he could finish his sentence, he died. "What in the world is going on here?" he thought to himself. The bridge, as well at the land ahead of it, did not look that much different, nor any better than the battlefield. When Seth reached the end of the bridge, he saw movement up ahead. He quickly got behind a stone column and peered around the corner. He saw what appeared to be soldiers patroling at the cliffs up top as well as guard towers made of chopped tree limbs. "Ugh...great, now what am I going to do?" He sat there for a minute thinking of what action he should take. Unsure of whether or not they were the enemy, he promised himself not to kill anyone until he knew what was going on. He sped out from behind the column and ran as fast as he could through the battlefield. Volleys of arrows were flying at him, but thanks to his agility, he was able to dodge the arrows for the most part. An arrow of fire hit the bottom of his robe and sat a small fire. "Agh!" he yelled. He quickly used his ice magic to put the flame out as he ran. He was now being chased by soldiers on foot while he was still being gunned down by the archers. The chase continued for nearly an hour across another field. The soldiers lost track of Seth, but he was still not safe. He jumped into a nearby cave and peered outside, seeing that he still being searched for. "My God, how long will this go on?!" he thought to himself. He quietly stayed in the shadows, the black color of his hair and his clothing were dark enough to camouflage him. He heard footsteps slowly approaching toward the cave entrance. Closer and closer they came, until there was a distant explosion outside which caught their attention. "Oh, no..." said one of the soldiers. "Forget about him, we have to go now!" said another soldier. Seth heard the footsteps growing more and more distant. He checked outside the cave to make sure they all had left, after seeing that they did leave, he let out a relived "Phew!". Seth had grown exhausted from all the running and decided to rest in the cave for the night. As soon as he laid down on the ground, he immediately dozed off. Day 2: A cave near the Lanayru/Faron province border Seth was sleeping hard after barely escaping capture or possible execution by a group of soldiers patrolling near the Lake Hylia bridge. The only things that were going through his mind while he was practically knocked out were the dying soldier that spoke to him and the explosion that distracted the soldiers. Something awoke him. He sprung up and prepared to draw his katana, but he was hit in the face with a rock and rendered unconscious before he could put his hand on the hilt. A few of the soldiers that were chasing after Seth came back to find him. He could hear the three of them talking, but barely as he was slowly heading toward unconsciousness. "So he was hiding here after all. Should....kill him?" "No, don't...we......take.....Hyrule Castle....there we will.......?" "Why? Isn't he.........sir?" "I don't.....,but he appears to....as he....attack us. We need...move out, as the.......are advancing.......speak. Now.....him up....move out!" Seth then slipped into unconsciousness as he was being lifted off the ground. Day 2 (Continued): Hyrule Castle. "Uhnnn...ugh." Seth opened his eyes, he looked around what appeared to be a medical room. He was laying on a plain white bed near the entrance to the room. The beds were in an organized manner, there were two rows of beds that streched across the room on either side, each bed was parallel to each other in their rows. They all had a table next to them with medicines and bandages on them. "Ah, I see you're awake. I apologize for what happened back there. Drace went a little overboard." came a voice near the room entrance. The owner of the voice was one of the soldiers that came back for Seth. He was slightly taller than Seth, and appeared to be a commander. "May I ask you why you tried to kill me? Also, where am I?" Seth asked in an annoyed voice. "We wern't trying to-" Seth cut him off. "Trying to what? Smash a huge rock over my head for no apparant reason? I'm suprised i'm not dead right now." The commander raised his voice. "If you would let me talk, i'll be able to explain." "Ugh, go on." "Now, you may not know this, but this nation is currently at war." "Yeah, I realized that when I first arrived here." "How?" "I was walking across a field at night, and I saw dead bodies scattered everywhere with arrow and sword injuries near a bridge over a lake. As I was about to cross the bridge, a severely wounded soldier told me that the kingdon is in danger, and something about the 'Twili', what ever that is." "What happened to him?" "He died before he could finish his sentence." '...I see." He sat on a bed that was next to Seth. "The Twili are the people we are at war with, they are trying to take over Hyrule. You see, Hyrule is split into four provinces: Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru. As it stands now the Twili have already captured the Ordona province, and most of the Lanayru province. The Zora army are currently fighting so we can regain control of the land. We have managed to keep the Eldin and most of Faron under our control for the time being. The soldiers that were chasing arfter you last night were the Twili." "How do you you know?" asked Seth. "Myself and fifteen of my sodiers were there last night so we could destroy their little outpost and regain our land. Fortunately, the uproar you caused by running through the land created a diverson that gave us the upper hand. Several of the Twili chased after you, thinned out the number of Twili that were originally there. We had the element of suprise, so we were able to infiltrate and assassinate most of fhe Twili that stayed. After a while, the others retreated. The Twili had a healthy supply of bombs at the outpost, so we used them to our advantage during the battle. Unfortunately, I accidentally lit several of them at once because I shot a fire arrow into a barrel that was full of bombs, which created a huge explosion." Seth remembered the explosion that distracted the Twili that were chasing him. "So thats what the explosion was." "Hm?" asked the commander. "I hid in a cave last night since I managed to lose the Twili. They were about to step into the cave, but then the explosion occured, and that caused them to leave." Enter Habiki ……………………….….WOOOSH! Habiki The sound seared through the black emptiness around him, like thunder. He turned to face the noise, and saw an enormous tree was apparently the culprit. It beckoned to him, its bark cracked into the face of an old man, one full of wisdom. As he walked towards it, saplings began to grow out of the darkness, blooming around the greater tree until the void was engulfed by an ethereal forest of unsurpassed beauty. He tried to take another step towards the tree, but before he could appreciate the ghostly woods the blackness returned. He turned around and saw a kindly old beggar, his eyes full of love, but also intense sadness. The face was somehow familiar, but he could not place it. The man seemed to be lost. He tried to call out to the man, but could not find his voice. This image gave way to one of a young warrior being bashed unconscious by a small rock. Then finally, all gave way to blackness again… *** Habiki opened his eyes. The last several months had been silence. He almost hadn’t woken up this time. But something had disturbed his earthen slumber, and caused him to have strange dreams…he’d almost forgotten about dreams…he’d almost forgotten everything. He’d almost found peace in oblivion. But it was not to be. He was awakened. He stood, limping on his good leg. It was an enormous effort. His body was nearly dust by now. His breaths were slow, his clay lungs struggling to expand and contract to fill with air. The insides of them were dry and cracked, flaked with dust and dirt. He looked around in the dark cave that was his home. All was silent. He took a few more laborious steps. Suddenly, the bottom of his feet felt wet. He looked down, but could barely see in the darkness. Taking movements so slow they seemed to last forever, he reached his hand towards his mouth and regurgitated a small orb. The orb gave off an eerie, inconsistent light. It seemed to flicker like a flame, but in a way that was much more harsh on the eyes. The orb seemed to have bald spots where the light couldn’t penetrate. He shown this light on the puddle in front of him, and saw that it was red. The sudden sight of blood is a jarring experience for most people, but even then Habiki’s reaction was far out of the norm. “It touched Habiki’s cave,” he said in a hoarse, weary voice that barely escaped his parched lungs. “It touched Habiki’s cave! Habiki is alone. It’s Habiki’s cave, you stay away!” Suddenly he forgot about the slow and deliberate movements he had been making before, and began to act very agitated and excited. “Habiki not like it! Habiki want it to go away!” He struggled to breath with the intensity of his emotions. “…no hurt Habiki.” Tears suddenly streamed down his face, eroding small lines in his earthen face as they traveled down his cheek. He looked around the cave once more, and realized that noone was there. It didn’t matter. Someone had been there, and by passing through they had taken with them any semblance of peace Habiki had found in slumber. “Habiki can’t stay, this cave no good, it be ruined!” He quickly turned and rushed towards a corner of the cave. His elbows and knees cracked slightly with the sudden movement, but Habiki barely felt it. It was a dull pain, numbed by the general decay of his body. He grabbed for a small empty bottle, his only possession. Then he turned and stormed out of the cave. The moment he walked outside, his progress was halted by harsh lights, which seemed to consume him. He blinked in the sunlight, small pieces of his eyelid flaking away. Soon though, his eyes grew accustomed to the light. As he began to leave the cave behind forever, his thoughts drifted towards his dream. It was fuzzy, but the face of the old beggar, at least, was firm in his memory. Habiki walked a ways, his thoughts on the old man. He tried his hardest to get the beggar out of his mind, but failed…thankfully though, the image of the old man remained his ONLY memory. Everything else had been eroded away as surely as the detail on his chest. As he wandered, he came to a stone bridge overlooking a large lake. His eyes surveyed the structure, and saw that it was strewn with bodies, or pieces of bodies, anyways. Scorch marks covered the other entrance to the bridge, and bits of arrow and kegs of powder were scattered amongst the scene. The sound that had began his dream echoed in his head. **WOOOOSH!** A great explosion had strewn these bodies about, and had awakened Habiki. Suddenly, Habiki’s mind was on fire. He screamed. “War! WAAAR! Habiki see WAR!” His marble eyes wide with tears, he backed towards the stone balustrade of the bridge. He tripped and was sent tumbling toward the water, end over end. The lake loomed ever larger below, and the wind swept away bits and pieces of his earthen flesh. He was going to die. He screamed, the fingers of his right hand blowing away into dust before his very eyes. He closed his eyes and waited for impact with the water that would finally end him. But it never came. He opened his eyes and saw that he was standing on the canyon floor, on one of the small islands of the lake. In his left hand was his empty bottle, completely intact. In his other hand, held precariously between his two remaining fingers, was the orb. He didn’t remember pulling it out. He had acted purely by instinct, and his magic had saved him. He swallowed his homebrew soul, reaccepting it into his body. Habiki’s body was tired and parched. His body quaked with thirst. He knelt beside the lake and reached into the water with his bottle, careful not to get his fingers wet, or they would dissolve. He took the water and began carefully applying it to his hardened joints, softening the clay and loosening his movements. He applied it to the joints of each of his fingers, his toes, his knees, his elbows, everywhere it needed, careful not to pour too much, knowing he might accidentally pour a hole right through his body like acid. It felt so good to finally be able to move properly again. He began to relax, enjoying his water, slathering it liberally on his skin until he felt truly malleable again. But he was still so thirsty. Unable to resist his thirst, he dipped his bottle into the water again and placed it to his “lips”. He gulped the water down with great fervor. For a moment, he was completely content, his thirst quenched, his mind at peace. And then…unremitting pain. Habiki screamed, the water wearing through the inside of his stomach and throat, small drops of liquid seeping out of the remaining cracks on the surface of his abdomen. He collapsed, his face inches from the water, and vomited up the remaining liquid. He looked at the water, his marble eyes staring right back at him over the surface of the water. It had been a long time since he had seen his reflection. The pain in his stomach subsiding, he sat up to get a better look. When he was first sculpted, he might have been considered handsome. But over time, his clay features eroding away and being hastily reconstructed, he now had a very crude and misshapen appearance, like the work of a small child. Habiki was no sculptor, so he couldn’t be expected to maintain his face if it could not maintain itself. His hair had been made of beautiful red reeds embedded into his head, but what was left of it was now a similar stony gray color as the rest of his body…he didn’t know it, but this is what had kept the intruders in his cave from seeing him. He looked at his chest. Once, he had been a truly heroic looking figure, a masterpiece of clay sinew…now he was a misshapen blob, only vaguely human, all detail worn away. And his marble eyes had grown rough and dull. On some level he must have remembered his former beauty, because what he saw in the water angered him. “''YOU ARE NOT HABIKI''!!” He screamed, and screamed, until he felt his lungs would burst from screaming, and, considering the state he was in, they probably would have. He punched at the water to rid it of his reflection, instantly regretting it as his arm began to dissolve. He pulled it out like off of a hot stove, staring at his arm…now very thin with spindly, weak fingers, the middle finger breaking down into a small stub. He clutched his arm, not out of pain, but out of sheer horror at what he’d done. He turned over onto his back, lying there helpless and afraid, still clutching his arm. Again his thoughts turned to the old man…and he remembered. “Papa.” He wept, the tracts it made in his face growing every more defined. “PAAAAPAA!” He screamed into the mountains around him, his voice echoing back at him in mock sympathy. His voice collapsed into tears, an utterly pathetic figure, unloved, uncared for, no papa coming to find him. He began to close his eyes in slumber, knowing he would not have the strength to wake up this time…he was done. Suddenly he remembered his dream in full. The tree, his papa, and the warrior. The tree had called to him. “Find us, Habiki. Find us, and find yourself. Be strong. Be strong, and '''keep your flame alight'.”'' Habiki clenched his hand into a fist, his body energized by righteous passion coursing through his soul. “Habiki will find you! HABIKI WILL MAKE IT BETTER!!” He forced himself to stand, and looked around, seeing the wooden bridges between the islands, and a small shrine in the middle of the lake. He was going to find them. And that shrine was as good a place as any to start. Habiki walked across the bridges and islands towards the the shrine. Unfortunately, the actual shrine was not connected by any bridge, so he couldn't cross towards it. He puzzled over what do to, when suddenly he heard a strange noise, and saw, in the distance, coming out of Snowpeak, a small Rito bird-man. "BIRDMAN!!" He cried delightedly. As quick as it came, the Rito was gone. It was halfway out of the province by now, to be sure. "...fast birdman." Habiki pulled his attention away and tried to focus on the task at hand. His magic wasn't exactly strong enough to get him across...I mean, he couldn't fly, like the bird-man. Suddenly, Habiki got an idea. He looked up and saw the Kargarocs flying about overhead. He smiled, for what seemed like the first time in years. Habiki stretched his joints, getting ready for his big move. He touched his toes, then reached up towards the sky. When he was satisfied that he was properly limbered up, he began to act very peculiarly. "AAGH!! BLEH! RAA-KAA-LAY!" He flailed his arms madly, making all manner of commotion. He squeaked and squacked and squoked and squaked. Finally, he heard the strange call of a Kargarok overhead. He quickly looked up at it and smiled. It had fallen right into his trap. Suddenly the Light Heart, which he had concealed in his fist, glowed intensely, and he brought it out in front of himself towards the Kargarok, focusing all his energy on it until it was a brilliant blazing light. The Kargarok was momentarily blinded, and Habiki grabbed it by the neck. Swallowing the Light Heart once again, he swung himself up over the Kargarok's body and held on tight, the Kargarok flailing about desperately. They rose slowly, the Kargarok barely able to support their combined weight as he tried to rid himself of Habiki. Habiki grabbed the beasts neck and pointed it's head towards the shrine. Even though it was thrashing wildly, at least he got it to aim mostly towards the shrine. They twirled about in the air, Habiki on the verge of losing his grip, when finally...the beast relented. Habiki leaned towards the shrine and dove with the beast, the beast reluctantly obeying his command. Just before they crashed into the rocks, he jumped from the Kargarok's back as it swiftly pulled up. Habiki crashed into the wall painfully, and the Kargarok nicked its wing, but it could still fly. It gave him an unfriendly backwards glance as it rose back into the clouds with its body listing slightly to one side. Habiki stood up and made a somewhat unneccessary formality of dusting himself off. "See, papa, Habiki not always be dumb! Habiki be smart sometimes!" Habiki thought delightedly to himself. When his thoughts turned once again to his "papa", he was again overcome by sadness, but now that he had something to occupy himself with it wasn't so painful. The man he called papa wasn't actually his father. He was merely one of the mages who had created Habiki. Though Habiki was not truly his progeny, the professorial old man had doted on Habiki like a spoiled son. Sadly, Habiki had not seen the mage in quite some time. Habiki walked into the shrine, and gasped at what he saw. A small cave, lined with strange swirling patterns on the walls, and a small spring in the middle overlooked by a stone pier. The water seemed to be glowing ever so slightly. "Pretty cave!" said Habiki. For a moment he considered making this cave his new home. It had water, it was a tiny cave away from any people, and it was very pretty. He could find food outside. Unfortunately, that was it. The room was empty, and Habiki had no more bright ideas. He looked around, finding not even a few jars lying around to break. He kicked at the ground, upset. His eyelids twitched as he placed his hands over his head and ducked close to the ground. "Habiki wrong…cave not pretty. Cave boring. Cave not help.” After a few ragged breaths, he managed to calm himself down. He cocked his head to one side, like a bird, surveying the cave once more. “Habiki not upset though. Habiki keep looking.” He walked outside the shrine again, hoping to catch another Kargarok out of there. Unfortunately, the sun was low on the horizon, and the large and territorial birds of prey had all retreated back to their nests. Habiki did not understand this, though. He spent the next several hours flailing his arms about and making strange noises, oblivious to the fact that there were no Kargaroks around. After the sun had long since fallen, Habiki finally stopped flailing. Slightly dejected, He resigned himself to Lanayru Spring for the night. Now he was somewhat more curious about his surroundings, so he walked over to the sign next to the spring. He looked at it in the moonlight, and saw it was covered in strange markings. He had no idea what they meant, or even that the markings meant anything at all. But he thought they were pretty. He ripped the sign out of the ground and sat cross-legged with it in his lap. He began tracing the symbols with what was left of his fingers, leaving bits of clay on the surface of the wood. He traced the symbols over, and over, and over again, the rocks around him shimmering in the reflection of the water. After a few hours, the fingers on his left hand now considerably shorter, Habiki grew bored of this. He finally carried the sign with him into the cave, laid down with it in his arms like a small stuffed animal, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. Red Scaled and Risen Polaris/Late night-Day 1/Somewhere in the Snowpeal mountains To wake abruptly from a dead sleep was no new occurrence, actually it happened on quite a regular basis for,what was peculiar about this particular rousing was, it had nothing to do with the recurring nightmares that haunted his slumbers, nor did it have anything to do with something going "bump" in the night. Actually, he had, for the first time in what seemed like years, been sleeping peacefully just a few short hours ago. But here he was, wide awake and for reasons yet unknown, plodding a self generated path through the perpetual silvery white curtain of snow and ice that pelted the mountain night and day. Why, or how he knew now was the proper time to come out of the protective embrace that solitude had so generously provided, he did not know. Pondering upon this and where exactly he was heading he pushed past his own weariness and towards the foot of the mountain...and as he reached the bottom, he knew now where he was to travel. But first he wanted to visit the site of his first and most famous defeat. Finding a secluded spot on the bank, Polaris decided to bed down for the reaminder of the night. __FORCETOC__ Category:Polaris Eridanus Category:Redawson2